2011 Cricket WorldCup: Bangladesh to host two quarterfinals

Bangladesh will host eight matches including two quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup after the tournament’s organising committee relocated Pakistan’s matches in Mumbai yesterday.

Apart from the matches, Bangladesh have been confirmed to host the opening ceremony on February 18, 2011 after it was revealed that Sri Lanka wanted to host the ceremony and give Bangladesh a semifinal.

“Sri Lanka wanted to hold the opening ceremony, giving us the semifinal but we kept the opening ceremony and were given the two quarterfinals,” revealed BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus.

India will host the final and one semifinal while Sri Lanka will stage the other semifinal. The other two quarterfinal will each be hosted by the two co-hosts.

India will host 29 of the 49 matches across eight venues and Sri Lanka will host 12 games in three venues.

The World Cup’s organising committee also decided to shift the tournament secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai. BCCI’s chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty was appointed the event’s managing director in place of Pakistani banker Salman Butt. The organising committee, headed by ICC vice-president Sharad Pawar, will include an operations and planning group comprising the Bangladesh Cricket Board senior vice-president Mahbubul Anam, Indian board secretary N Srinivasan, Sri Lanka’s Duleep Mendis and Shetty.

S: The Daily Star